Iran decries Turkish Consulate seizure in Iraq

Iraqis inspect the wreckage of cars following two bomb attacks at an Iraqi police checkpoint in the town of Tuz Khurmatu on June 9, 2014.

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Iran has condemned recent acts of terrorism in Iraq, including the seizure of the Turkish Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, by militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham expressed deep concern over the takeover of the consulate and abduction of its staff, urging respect for and protection of the rights of diplomatic places and their personnel.

The militants kidnapped the Turkish consul general and 24 other staff members working at the consulate on June 11.

She further called on the international community to consider the consequences of foreign support for such terrorist groups, warning that these groups contribute to regional instability, whose repercussions will grip the entire region and even the whole world.

Afkham further voiced Tehran’s unflinching support for Iraq in its fight against terrorism, urging the Iraqi nation to maintain their unity and integrity against terrorist attacks.

She also expressed hope that national unity will see peace and stability return to Iraq.

On Tuesday, militants took control of Nineveh Province, including its capital Mosul, forcing “over 500,000 people in and around the city" to flee, according to Geneva-based International Organization for Migration.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said the country’s security forces would confront the terrorists, calling the seizure of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, a “conspiracy".

Maliki has also asked the UN, the European Union, and the Arab League to help the country fight the terrorists.

Violence has also been raging elsewhere across Iraq, with bombings and shootings rattling the nation.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry has said that militants have launched an open war in Iraq in a bid to plunge the Middle Eastern country into chaos.